Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - On Friday, November 23, during the second South Side Shuffle of the season, Galleria Dante will open a new painting exhibit featuring Jalisco artists Nino Magaña and Miguel Angel del Campo with a cocktail reception from 6–10 pm.

Nino Magaña - Born in Guadalajara in 1970, Nino Magaña is one of 10 brothers. He began painting at the age of 8, and enjoyed it, but never thought it would lead to a life as a professional artist.

At age 15, his life changed on a visit to the Instituto Cultural Cabanas, when he stood in front of a Jorge González Camarena painting entitled "El Abrazo" (The Hug). "To this day, this painting is in engraved in my mind, because it awoke the true calling to be a painter in me, which almost 20 years later remains a real motivation for me," he says.

After completing 3 years of his Art degree, Nino left school to work as a commercial painter, which helped him develop his skill and discipline and gave him the income needed to explore and develop his own style. He would go on to paint murals in Mexico, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. After winning his first award at the Salon Octubre in 1990, he had the confidence to freely express his passion for art.

In 2008, Nino found time to return to University to complete his education and, in addition to obtaining his Masters Degree in art, also earned a degree in music, attests to his commitment to the dissemination and promotion of culture.

Aside from painting, Nino loves to spend time with his wife and two children, who are a great support to him, as a life of an artist has many ups and downs. He is not only disciplined as an artist, but also in his personal diet and in his Hindu practices. His other passions are cooking in the kitchen with his wife, playing the piano and guitar.

This is the second season Nino has exhibited at Galleria Dante, where his works have been very well received by collectors. Owners, Claire, Joe and Gena are proud to have his art work in their own personal collection.

Miguel Angel Serrano Martin del Campo - Born in Lagos de Moreno, Jalisco, Miguel Angel Serrano Martin del Campo currently lives and works in Guadalajara. He studied Fine Arts at the Cabañas Cultural Instituto from 1992 to 1995, and specialized in wood and stone carving courses in 1996.

During his studies at the Instituto Cabañas, Miguel Angel studied modeling, mold making and glazing tile under teacher Antonio Ramirez Ruiz. This period marks the beginning of his fascination with color in sculpture. Constant touring in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Michoacan, and Oaxaca brought him closer to the magic of the original artisan crafts of those areas and the complexity of shapes, colors and narrative told in each piece.

"To observe the craftsmanship of the people we reach deep down to uncover their deepest feelings, their festivals, their customs, their thoughts. Walter Gropios said: 'There does not exist a substantial difference between craftsman and artist, the artist is an inspired craftsman,' and I believe that it's a mix that never fully merges together. Each of my works represents a knot in the fabric that I forge day by day. For that reason, in each of my pieces I seek to make them unique, different from the rest. Each creation is the result of the past, present and future," del Campo asserts.

In 1997, del Campo traveled to Florence, Italy, where he lived until 2007. For four years, he directed the design area of a ceramic factory "cotto" in the town of Strada in Chianti. For three years, he was the professor of sculpture at the ADA art academy, also in Florence.

During his stay in Italy, Miguel Angel participated in competitions, two of which are awarded internationally, and in many exhibitions, both collectively and individually. He also founded the "Asociación Cultural Arteria" in Florence. Between 2006 and 2011, he developed his work and participated in events in Mexico, Italy, Colombia, and the USA.

Miguel Angel is a great admirer and lover of "art nouveau," geometry, insects, animals and plants in general. He admired and was influenced by artists such as Alberto Giacometti, Giuliano Vangi, Hundertwasser, Gustav Klimt, Oskar Kokoschka, Egon Schiele, Salvador Dali, and Henri Matisse, among others.

"My work revolves mainly around three elements: Metamorphosis, Change, and Movement. I am currently developing a project called Mixed Beings - a series of sculptures in which the botanical world, animals, minerals, insects, objects and the human being are intertwined. I define it not only as "mixed beings," but also as "beings of light" - beings who are born of the light and follow the light (born and reborn) like plants, or being born as a man and reborn as a cock, like "Rooster-Man."

Below are the 2012/2013 Southside Shuffle dates, including the artists Galleria Dante and ANDante will feature every other Friday from 6-10 pm:

Galleria Dante Show Dates

23 Nov 2012 – Nino Magana and Miguel Angel del Campo
14 Dec 2012 – Sandra Leonard, Janice Reuland, and Nina di Giovanni
28 Dec 2012 - Ute Hagen and Yvan Genest
11 Jan 2013 – Ignacio Guerrero and Jesse Reno
25 Jan 2013 – Pipo Brockmann, Alvaro Zardoni, and Edgar Martinez
08 Feb 2013 – Cherie Sibley, Javier Zepeda, and David Zepeda
22 Feb 2013 – Kathleen Carrillo and Andy Marcus
08 March 2013 - Luis Valui and Jorge Coste
22 March 2013 – Jean-Gabriel Lambert and Brewster Brockmann

AnDante Show Dates

28 Dec 2012 – Oscar Zamarripa and Ale Zamarripa
25 Jan, 2013 - Israel Zzepda
22 Feb 2013 – Guillermo Gomez

Open Mon-Fri from 10 am-5 pm, Galeria Dante is located at Basilio Badillo #269 in Puerto Vallarta's Romantic Zone. For more information, call (322) 222-2477, or send an email to info(at)galleriadante.com.

Click HERE to learn more about Galleria Dante.